Army wife born without vagina receives a man-made one

A young military spouse who was born without a vagina and had hopes of being a mother is getting her wish, thanks to a life-changing surgery to create the artificial orifice.

23-year-old Devan Merck was only 12 when she found out she didn’t have a vagina and was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome, which affects one in 5,000 women.

“For years I was bullied and felt different,” she said. “Kids would call me a ‘boy’ and a ‘freak’ and boyfriends would disappear when they realized I wouldn’t have sex.”

Despite efforts by surgeons to create a vaginal canal when she was sixteen, she was regularly mocked by boyfriends for not being the same as other girls.

“The name calling hurt,” she said. “It hurt my feelings a lot but I dealt with it. It definitely made me a stronger person. I didn’t judge, I just knew that they didn’t understand.”

Devan eventually met her husband of five years, who is serving in the US Army at Fort Benning, Georgia.

“I am very proud of Devan,” 28-year-old Trent Merck said. “I know that this condition is really difficult emotionally and I am just glad I am here to support her. Sometimes she gets down and everything but I mean she always looks forward. I think she feels guilty about it but I never want her to feel that way and I don’t hold it against her ever. I love her no matter what.”

Devan has recently discovered that her ovaries are functional, which means her dreams of being a mother can potentially be realized with the aid of a surrogate.

“Everything I’ve been through has been me stronger and I think I will make an amazing mother,” she said.

Devan also has the support of her best friend Megan Seaman, who was born with the same condition.

“I think she handles everything with grace,” said Megan. “We will forever be sisters.”

According to Barcroft Media, the Mercks have found a potential surrogate in the form of a close family friend, and hope to have their first child by December 2017.

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